Kubasaki sophomore Isaiah Teregeyo and Kadena seniors Robert Kehe and Jahan Ellerbee, playing at the American School In Japan YUJO Tournament with the Kadena Shogun Volleyball Club of Okinawa. They say they would rather play for their respective high schools and even see boys volleyball become a Far East tournament sport. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO – Robert Kehe has had many occasions to see his sister, Christina, setting for Kadena’s girls volleyball team. The senior middle blocker says he’d love to do the same for a Kadena boys team.
He and a handful of Kadena classmates and players from Kubasaki and Okinawa Christian are playing as the Kadena Shogun club team in this weekend’s 9th American School In Japan YUJO Tournament.
“It would build school spirit for people who want to play” high school ball, Kehe said Thursday, Day 1 of the YUJO Tournament at ASIJ’s Chofu campus in Tokyo’s western suburbs.
“It would give opportunities for boys athletes who love the sport and develop their skills. If people are interested in playing, if they’re athletic enough, if they want to try it out, they should have the opportunity,” Kehe said.
But for the moment, the Kadena Shogun team is the only option they have. The club, formed three years ago by longtime U.S. civilians on Okinawa, Art Arao and Brian Kehe, plays mostly against Japanese teams off base on the island.
DODEA-Pacific’s Okinawa and Japan districts do not sponsor boys volleyball; it’s only played by Guam High in the spring and by the three DODEA-Korea schools in the fall; thus, there is no Far East boys volleyball tournament.
And if DODEA-Pacific was to add boys volleyball to its tournament slate, it would have to add another Far East in a girls sport to keep the number of Far Easts per gender equal, DODEA-Pacific officials said.
While Kehe’s time runs out when he graduates in June, “there’s still time for me,” Kubasaki sophomore and Shogun teammate Isaiah Teregeyo said. “I hope they have a Far East for boys by the time I’m a senior.”
Meantime, the Shogun are looking for other opponents; hence, why they were entered in the YUJO tournament.
“I want to go to Korea and play against them,” Kadena senior and Shogun player Jahan Ellerbee said of the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference. Seoul Foreign and Chadwick International of KAIAC’s Blue Division are playing in this weekend’s YUJO.
At least one Kadena girls player, Kehe’s younger sister Christina, says she would welcome a boys program at her school.
“I like watching boys volleyball,” Christina said. “It would be cool to have a boys team (at Kadena), so we could cheer for them and they could cheer for us.”
Chase for D-I, D-II football title game berths continues
On the gridiron, Friday’s game slate features four games, each kicking off at 6 p.m., with DODEA-Pacific Far East Divisions I and II title-game considerations – almost de facto Far East semifinals.
In D-I, Kadena (2-1) visits Kubasaki (3-1) at Mike Petty Stadium, with the winner all but claiming the top seed and host rights in the Oct. 28 final. Nile C. Kinnick (2-2) needs a win to keep its hopes alive when the Red Devils visit Humphreys (0-3).
D-II features Yokota (2-1) in a must-win situation when the Panthers visit Zama (5-0). Up north, American School In Japan (2-1) also needs a win at Robert D. Edgren (1-4) to keep pace in the D-II chase.
